Pushing the boundary of territory: ecomuseums as dynamic, open spaces

Bowden, Alistair (2018) Pushing the boundary of territory: ecomuseums as dynamic, open spaces. Landscape Research, 43 (2). pp. 183-198. ISSN 0142-6397

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Abstract

This paper explores the spatial dimensions of a northern landscape – the Flodden battlefield. This is the focal site of the Flodden 1513 Ecomuseum; the centre to a network of 40 other sites around the United Kingdom which together interpret the Flodden story. However, this distributed network does not fit easily with the foundational ecomuseum concept of ‘territory’ as the boundary around a shared heritage, memory and community. The relative merits of three concepts of ecomuseums are discussed in relation to the Flodden 1513 Ecomuseum. Inspired by Doreen Massey’s interpretation of space, this study explores multiple dimensions of Flodden space through four semiautobiographical journeys to the Flodden battlefield during the author’s life: as a family holiday; a teenager with interest in military strategy; an early career field geologist; a project manager working with the local community and artists. The article concludes by suggesting the word territory may not be appropriate for ecomuseums: it suggests that Peter Davis’s favoured term place may be an improvement; however, it ends by proposing that space may be an even better word for the geographic context of ecomuseums.

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